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The Pirates of Jamaica: The Curse of the Black Pearl
''The Pirates of Jamaica: The Curse of the Black Pearl ''is the first film of the film series ''The Pirates of Jamaica''. Plot Fog Bound The story begins during the Age of Piracy, as the [http://pirates.wikia.com/wiki/HMS_Dauntless HMS Dauntless] carries Queen Emily Rose (Leigh-Allyn Baker) and her daughter, Rose (Lucinda Dryzek), from England to Port Royal in the Caribbean Sea. Escorted by Lieutenant James Norrington (Jack Davenport), the vessel happens upon the wreck of a merchant ship, the [http://pirates.wikia.com/wiki/Princess_%28merchant_ship%29 Princess], which crewman Joshamee Gibbs (Kevin McNally) takes to be the work of "cursed pirates". Elizabeth spots a single survivor: young Salty (Dylan Smith), lying unconscious on a piece of driftwood. He is brought aboard the Dauntless, and rouses in time for he and Elizabeth to introduce themselves. As he lapses back into unconsciousness, Elizabeth notices a medallion about his neck. Fearing he is a pirate—and that the strict Norrington would likely have him hanged—Elizabeth takes the medallion from him before he is taken below decks. As Elizabeth stands on the ship's bow, contemplating the medallion, the Black Pearl, a galleon with shredded black sails, makes its escape from the scene…but not before Elizabeth glimpses it, its captains and the skull and crossbones hoisted atop its mast. Eight Years Later We rejoin Rose (Bernadette Peters) eight years later, as she wakes from her dream of that fateful day. She still has the medallion, kept in a hidden compartment in a chest of drawers, and puts it on. Her mother, Queen Rose, enters with a gift: a dress from London she hopes Rose will wear to Captain Norrington's promotion ceremony. She agrees to wear it, though finds the corset highly restricting and uncomfortable. The Governor receives a visitor, in the form of Salty (Jason Alexander), who has forged a sword for the soon-to-be Commodore. It is clear he has developed romantic feelings for Rose, but they part on less-than friendly terms, owing to her station as the Queen's Daughter and his, a lowly blacksmith's "apprentice". Meanwhile, two strange figures are approaching Port Royal onboard a sinking dory: Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) and Captain Zephyr Knightson (Ashton Kutcher) are in the market for a new ship, and, after bribing the harbormaster (Guy Siner), he heads into the docks as, high above at Fort Charles, Norrington's promotion ceremony gets underway. Sparrow is accosted by two marines, Callroy (Angus Barnett) and Burtoga (Giles New), but distracts them with mention of the legendary Black Pearl. On the battlements of the fort, Commodore Norrington offers Rose a proposition: his new status has made clear to him he has not yet taken a wife, and sees Rose as a "fine woman". Rose faints—though less through shock at James' words, and more because of the tightness of her corset—and plummets into the sea far below. Sparrow and Zephyr, having engaged the marines in idle conversation, dive in and rescue her from the seabed, from where her medallion sends out a mysterious pulse, a signal sent across the waters. Back on the harbor, Jack's interest is piqued by the medallion, but his questions are forestalled by Norrington, who arrives with marines to arrest the pirate and Zephyr, having recognised a brand on his forearm as the mark used by the East India Trading Company to identify pirates. Jack and Zephyr, however, hold Elizabeth hostage long enough to have their effects returned, before making their swashbuckling escape into the port. As they try to escape, Sparrow and Zephyr meet Salty, who is now John Brown's blacksmith apprentice, and a swordfight ensues. Sparrow and Zephyr are knocked unconscious by Salty's employer (who slept through the entire swordfight) and arrested by the Royal Navy officers who have just broken into the blacksmith shop. Raid of Port Royal That night, Port Royal is besieged by the infamous ghost ship known as the Black Pearl — a black vessel crewed by a vicious, bloodthirsty crew, and captained by a man reputed to be "so evil that Hell itself spat him back out". The mysterious pulse which emanated from Rose's medallion seems to have "called" the Black Pearl somehow. Crew members from the Pearl find Rose (who hides her true identity as the queen's daughter by using Turner as a last name) in possession of the medallion, and take her back to their ship. She invokes the rule of parlé ("parlai" in Middle English, "parley" in modern American English—a negotiation or discussion between two parties, particularly in military situations, during which no harm can befall the adversary) in order to be taken to the Captain of the Black Pearl, Bellward, to ask that he cease his attack on Port Royal in exchange for the medallion. Bellward agrees but, employing a loophole in their agreements, abducts Rose. Later, Rose is asked to dine with Bellward and to wear a red dress. When she refuses, she is told that the captain said she'd say that, in which case she'd be dining with the crew and she'd be naked, Rose decides to wear the dress and dine with the captain. The next day, Salty (having seen Rose taken by the Pearl's crew) fails in his passionate efforts to convince Commodore James Norrington and the Royal Navy to pursue the culprits immediately (despite the Commodore's own feelings towards Rose). While the Commodore puts his faith in strategy, Salty takes up an offer by Jack Sparrow and Zephyr to rescue Rose in exchange for breaking him out of jail. After absconding with the Royal Navy's fastest ship and assembling a crew to man it on the lawless island of Tortuga (Spanish for turtle), Jack, Zephyr and Salty set off to find Bellward and the Black Pearl, which is heading towards Isla de Muerta — a mysterious island that's supposedly undiscoverable, save for "those who already know where it is." The Curse Here, we learn the true story and intentions of Bellward and his crew. The ship and its crew were once under the command of Jack Sparrow, Zephyr and Will Turner until they mutinied a decade ago, stealing the bearings for Isla de Muerta from them, and then marooning them with three pistols containing only one shot. The island contained a cursed Aztec treasure that the crew of the Black Pearl discovered — but believing the curse to be a myth, they took the Aztec treasure for themselves. Shocked by this action, Will's father, "Bootstrap Bill" Turner, the only pirate who protested against the mutiny, sent one of the cursed gold pieces away to his son in order to ensure a fitting punishment for the crew's betrayal. In retaliation, Bellward ordered Bootstrap to be tied by his bootstraps to a cannon and thrown overboard. Too late, the crew discovered that the curse was indeed real; in order to break it, they were required to return all the pieces of the treasure to its chest and give a blood sacrifice from everyone who removed them. As part of the curse, the crew's gluttony, greed, and lust for worldly possessions can never be satisfied, and they became undead, forced to never die or rest in their covetousness (moonlight reveals this fact, showing the pirates in its glare to be living, rotting skeletons). After a decade, they have succeeded in fulfilling almost all of the requirements to end the curse — save for obtaining the blood of Bootstrap Bill and the gold piece he stole. With the medallion (in reality, the last piece of the treasure) and Rose "Turner" (who they believe is the child of Bootstrap) in their custody, Bellward believes he finally has what he needs to lift the curse. Isla de Muerta Rescue In a cave full of treasure on Isla de Muerta, Bellward, believing Rose is Bootstrap's child, anoints the last coin with her blood and drops it into the chest. When the crew questions if the curse was lifted, Bellward shoots Phillip Swift, which has no effect on him— the curse remains unbroken. Confused, Bellward asks Rose if her father was William Turner, to which Rose says no. Barbossa then asks if she knows where his child is that sailed from England, eight years ago, and Rose does not answer. Enraged, Bellward knocks out Rose. Reaching the island, Will suspects Sparrow and Zephyr may betray him and knocks them out. He rescues Rose, who takes the medallion, and they escape to the Interceptor. The crew of the Black Pearl discover Jack and Zephyr, wandering around, and Jack and Zephyr are then taken to Bellward, as Zephyr invoked the right of Parley. Bellward is shocked by seeing Jack and Zephyr alive and well and orders the crew to kill their old captain. Zephyr then asked if Rose's blood didn't work, which caused questioning if Jack himself knew who's blood would work. Destruction of the Intercepter Back aboard the Intercepter, Rose returned Salty's medallion to him, and he realized that it was his blood, not Rose's, the pirates required to lift their curse. Angry and despairing, Salty drove Rose away, yet again forestalling the chance of romance between them. At the same time aboard the Black Pearl, Zephyr barters with Bellward—he will reveal Bootstrap Bill's child in exchange for Jack and the Pearl. Zephyr's negotiations come to naught when the Pearl pursues the Interceptor. As the Pearl draws near, the crew of the Interceptor prepares for battle. Soon, both ships fired at one another, causing damage to each vessel. It didn't take long for the crew of the Pearl to win, and retrieve the medallion. The crew of the Interceptor is imprisoned, and Salty watches in anticipation as the Interceptor is blown up and sunk. Salty then reveals that he is Bootstrap Bill's son and demands that Rose and the crew be freed, and not to be harmed, or he will shoot himself and fall overboard. Bellward agrees, but applies another loophole: marooning Rose, Zephyr and Jack on an island. Salty is then taken to Isla de Muerta, where Bellward plans to kill him to break the curse. Rescue at Rumrunner's Isle Rose, Zephyr and Jack are stranded on Black Sam's Spit, the same island on which Jack was marooned a decade ago. Zephyr asks Jack about how he escaped the island last time, to which he answered that with the help of the rum runners, he bartered passage off the island. But seeing that the rum runners are long out of business, Jack has no plan of escaping. Then, Rose took matters in her own hands by burning all their supplies (Jack's hidden cache of rum), as well as some of the small island's palm trees, to create a signal fire to alert anyone from the Royal Navy of her location. Rose, Zephyr and Jack are eventually rescued by Norrington, but Rose is unable to convince him to go back and rescue Salty until Rose promises to marry him. Isla De Muerta Battle Upon arriving at the cursed island, Jack and Zephyr convince Norrington's forces to lie in ambush for Bellward's crew while they go in and convince them to come out. They convince Bellward to delay spilling Salty's blood to break the curse until after they have killed the crew of the Royal Navy ship Dauntless and taken the ship. This proves to all be part of Zephyr's plan; however, he was not expecting the undead crew to walk along the ocean floor to the ship, which allows them to escape the planned ambush (known as the Trojan Horse Ambush). As the Black Pearl crew engages the Royal Navy in hand-to-hand combat aboard the Dauntless, Jack and Zephyr steal two of the cursed coins, unseen by Bellward, and engage in their own swordfight with Jack's former first mate. Because of the coins they stole, Jack and Zephyr now has a share of the loot, so they too are cursed and thus can't be killed until the curse is lifted. Moreover, in order for the curse to be lifted, Jack's blood must now also be given. During their fight, he distracts Bellward long enough until both he and Salty can give their blood and return their respective coins (Salty has the medallion from the start of the film, Jack and Zephyr the coins he recently stole). Before Salty drops the coins into the chest, Zephyr shoots Barbossa with his pistol, containing the one shot he and Jack were given when marooned after Bellward's mutiny. When Bellward claims, "Ten years you carry that pistol, and now, you waste your shot." Salty claims, "He didn't waste it!" and drops the coins into the chest breaking the curse. After the curse ends and all the Black Pearl crew becomes mortal again. Bellward falls to the treasure-covered ground and drops his sour, green apple. Once they realize they're no longer cursed — and no longer immortal — Bellward's crew surrenders to the Royal Navy. Escape from the Hanging Back at Port Royal, Norrington is forced to hang Jack and Zephyr as per law, but Salty, who believe them decent enough persons to not deserve death, rescues Jack and Zephyr. Rose, inspired by Salty's sudden defiance, as well as his confession of love towards her, rejects marriage to Norrington and declares her feelings for Zephyr instead. Norrington agrees to release her from her promise and Salty is pardoned for his criminal act; meanwhile, Jack and Zephyr escape and awkwardly fall into the ocean, to be rescued by the crew he assembled to help him earlier and who now man the Black Pearl. As the movie ends, Norrington watches as Jack and Zephyr set sail for unknown chapters, impressed by the pirate enough to allow him one day's head start before setting out in pursuit. Cast *Johnny Depp … Jack Sparrow *Ashton Kutcher .... Zephyr (voice) *Geoffrey Rush … Bellward *Jason Alexander … Salty *Bernadette Peters … Emily "Rose" Rose Jr. *Jack Davenport … Norrington *Leigh-Allyn Baker … Queen Emily Rose *Sam Clafton … Philip Swift *Robert Kay … Twilight *Zoe Saldana … Anamaria *Kevin McNally … Joshamee Gibbs